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....just came true.
When I was out with friends the other evening I performed some card stuff for the first time! So it was a momentous day.
Anyway, the problem was this; I performed the Biddle Trick and it went perfectly - technique-wise. However, when my friend saw the face up card in his deck, his reaction was exactly the one I didn't want! He saw the card and looked at me and said, 'Hmm, when did you do that?'.

It wasnt that he worked out how it was done, or even that he was unimpressed, but he didn't get any emotion out of the trick rather he found it an amusing puzzle to solve. Anyone who has talked to me on here will know that has always been my main concern with card magic, and I thought I'd be able to prevent it, but obviously not!

Any ideas, suggestions or comments? Does this happen to other people? It just frustrates me that the reaction would have been similar had I done a simple self-working trick.
But I have now performed for friends for the first time - so Im happy!

Well done on your first performce. My own opinion is that you often get these reactions when perforking to people that you know, but don't let it put you off. The fact that your friend didn't see how you did the trick (the secret) is the point here so give yourself a pat on the back.

Reactions have also been debated here on more than one occasion and I recall that the consensus is that you get the better reactions from the female of the species than from the male. I'm asuming that your friend is a male so again, if so, don't let it worry you too much.

You will then find the more that you perform to strangers, you will occasionally get the 'non impressed' lay person and there's little that you can do under these circumstances. Don't lose any sleep over one person.

It just frustrates me that the reaction would have been similar had I done a simple self-working trick.

Don't let it frustrate you! Don't you feel so much better having performed a trick using sleights, rather than a self worker? There lies the answer to your question

Some people just wont be intrested in seeing the magic and enjoying it, they will just be there to try and catch you out, i suggest you dont perform for people like this as they are just a waste of time and all they want to do is embarass you.

Alot of old people tend to enjoy seeing magic, maybe you should perform for some old people.

Ryder wrote:Some people just wont be intrested in seeing the magic and enjoying it, they will just be there to try and catch you out, i suggest you dont perform for people like this as they are just a waste of time and all they want to do is embarass you.

Alot of old people tend to enjoy seeing magic, maybe you should perform for some old people.

Thats exactly my problem. My friends burn down on my hands and scream "I KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT!!!" for anything. Most of the time I didnt even do anything yet. I dont like preforming for them but my parents and their friends like to watch me do tricks very much. Im actualy having my grandparents over tomarrow and are going to show them some of my tricks

Greetings Mark

Well done on your first performance.

The one thing I find that helps when performing for friends is to make the trick look as spontaneous as possible as this has more impact and they will watch the performance rather that trying to figure out how it is done.

Regards

D.

Some people usually men get their enjoyment by seeing magic as a puzzle and trying to work it out. As a result they never react with amazement as to them it's not magic it's a puzzle. They can still enjoy magic but not at the same level as those that see it as magic. It's very hard to get these people to change the way they look at magic especially if you know them well. One thing that helps is to make sure that you surprise them with the effect. In other words don't give them any hint about what is going to happen, if the surprise is strong enough you might just get something a bit closer to what your looking for, however an easier route is to perform for strangers and preferably women. That's why I'm always on the look out for strange women

Ryder wrote:Some people just wont be intrested in seeing the magic and enjoying it, they will just be there to try and catch you out, i suggest you dont perform for people like this as they are just a waste of time and all they want to do is embarass you.

I think a whole host of people will completely disagree with you on that one, Ryder. If you can present the right effect properly, then there is no 'working out' to be done... PK effects properly executed will achieve this, as will 'Heirloom.' Try them out.

And calling any spectator a waste of time? Personally, I'd never treat my audience with such contempt.

Ryder wrote:Some people just wont be intrested in seeing the magic and enjoying it, they will just be there to try and catch you out, i suggest you dont perform for people like this as they are just a waste of time and all they want to do is embarass you.

Alot of old people tend to enjoy seeing magic, maybe you should perform for some old people.

This is why I learned Ericksonian Hypnosis. So I can teach these jerks a lesson or two! (Just kidding.) But I do find that the skeptics you get in a crowd often are easily suggestable if you know what you are doing. (Here is where anyone with common training in hypnosis scoffs.)

My suggestion is more bold than most. I dont believe in limiting my audience, I believe in working with them. If someone is just trying to screw you up or just isn't being a spectator, it isn't your problem as a magician or illusionist. But it is more so your challenge. One I do enjoy taking.

Hey, if you failed, you never had your win to begin with. But if you win, it is one of the greatest victorys to place under your belt, and will give you more experience than 10-15 shows full of "easy" specs.

But, worry about this when you are confiendent. If you want to go to that higher level. Which anyone can do. Skill is there for anyone who wants it. Not those who think they have it.

Know it.

1011

Zack wrote:
I think a whole host of people will completely disagree with you on that one, Ryder. If you can present the right effect properly, then there is no 'working out' to be done... PK effects properly executed will achieve this, as will 'Heirloom.' Try them out.

And calling any spectator a waste of time? Personally, I'd never treat my audience with such contempt.

I couldn't agree more. A major part of performing magic is being able to detect the mood of the audience and adjusting your patter and presentation accordingly.

I like to make jokes at my own expense to dispell any negative comments a spectator may have made. In addition, I often pick these people as volunteers for tricks that they do not have enough of a role to foil the effect (or even something self-working). This usually dispells any nonbelievers in the audience, especially the heckler himself (or even herself... I've actually had more female hecklers than male ones).

Performing for friends can be a problem as they know you and are naturally cynical.

I have had to develop a slightly different persona with friends when I do magic for them, giving them the impression that I am spending hundreds of hours a week working on this and that I have become obsessed. This helps them believe that there might be something in it that they genuinely can't understand and its not just their friend with a silly hobby.

I also give them lots of (false) information about how a trick is done. I talk about NLP or my ability to read tells like poker players, to cover up the reality. If they suss that it is just a trick I will say 'ok that one is just a trick, but I have to mix up what I do to keep people guessing, if I just used the same technique all the time you would be bored. But even though that one was a trick I'm not going to show you how its done'

The problem I have had recently has been when performing for people I don't know. I have started to frighten a few people which is fun and a little unnerving at the same time.

Friends are the most difficult spectators !

If the reaction was not so good maybe it is a problem of presentation. All beginners are worried only by technique... and this is the first step. but a good tecnique cant hide a bad presentation. On the contrary a GOOD presentation can hide or also substitute a not so good tecnique (cit) . So try whith another friend and take care to present very well the MAGICAL part of biddle trick, the part in which you "take" the invisible card and you reinser it invisibly in the deck

giulio1971 wrote:Friends are the most difficult spectators !

The only audience I have ever found more challenging is one composed of magicians at a store demo evening. They don't seem to care about your performance (either because they aren't good enough to understand its importance or because they know they will be working out their own), they are specifically looking for any flaws that thay can with the effect and are generally psyching themselves up towards spending lots of money on stuff they almost certainly won't use.

CUPS! Hehe..

~Sym~

I Have found a couple of little tricks that come in quite handy when busting balls against an audience of friends ...

First few times I perfromed for friends at parties and things i found them very sceptical, as said before they dont see you as a magician.

First thing i like to play on is the old "woops i messed up" gig, most of your friends will find it a scream if they think you messed up, and then you pull the climax out of the bag when they least suspect it.

The other ... and personal fav of mine as it will make you a little cash. I have one friend who is a particular sceptic of my skills ... so i do the golden oldie ... get him to select a card ... then loose it in the deck ... then deal cards face up onto the table one by one ... deal 1 card to many, so he see's his facing him on the table .... then, blatently outjog the top card on the deck and say "i bet you 5 quid that the next card i turn over is yours" ... you can bet your bottom dollar they will take the bet ... then, casualy reach over to thier face up card on the table and turn it face down! .... say nothind and smile!

Gets 'em every time!.

Rob